WordPress 4.8: WPCouple Is Now WordPress Core Contributor 🎉

In the spirit of regular core contribution to the WordPress core, I have again contributed to WordPress 4.8. It’s a different kind of proud feeling you get when you give back. But most of all, I am happy because of my incredible wife — Maedah Batool — who also got props, her first core contribution.

🤔 My involvement in the WordPress community is growing by every passing day. I consider it my family. I have made so many awesome friends here. This year so far, I have contributed about 40% to 50% of my entire productive time to FOSS — free and open source software! — especially WordPress.

🎯 On a WordPress meetup I arranged last month, a developer asked me — what’s the catch? Why do you contribute, or code for free? I told him, that it’s not really free. I get a lot back from it. It’s my investment in the WordPress community — I am investing in WordPress, so that one day, the community will invest back in me.

🤓 It’s not always easy you know! Though, it may seem like it. You have to spend time on it. It costs you. It’s harder when you are self-employed. Though, it’s rewarding in many ways! But it still is a labor of love. WordPress will change your life if you let it.

⚡️ WordPress 4.8 “Evans”!

This release was led by Matt and Jeff Paul, with the help of the following fabulous folks. There are 346 contributors with props in this release, with 106 of them contributing for the first time.

WordPress 4.8 adds more ways for you to express yourself and represent your brand. An Update with You in Mind!

Though some updates seem minor, they’ve been built by hundreds of contributors with you in mind. Get ready for new features you’ll welcome like an old friend: link improvements, three new media widgets covering images, audio, and video, an updated text widget that supports visual editing, and an upgraded news section in your dashboard which brings in nearby and upcoming WordPress events.

Version 4.8 of WordPress, named “Evans” in honor of jazz pianist and composer William John “Bill” Evans, is available for download or update in your WordPress dashboard. New features in 4.8 add more ways for you to express yourself and represent your brand.

⚡️ More Widgets! Image, Video, Audio, Rick Text!

With WordPress 4.8 you get exciting new default widgets — through which you can share images, videos, audio, and even write rich text. I think the image below will help you get an idea about all the new widgets.

⚡️ Editing: Introducing Link Boundaries!

Editing the links in WordPress editor has always been a bit clunky. With link boundaries, it’s all new and smooth. When you edit a link, you’ll see a blue background to help you understand if you are editing a link or adding text before/after that. Just watch the GIF below.

⚡️ Nearby WordPress Events

Now, you can check if there are any events happening near you. You can update the location and you’ll get the feed from WordPress meetups and WordCamps. eing part of the community can help you improve your WordPress skills and network with people you wouldn’t otherwise meet.

⚡️ Developer Happiness

Here are a few links to what’s new in WordPress 4.8. If you are a developer, don’t forget to check out the WordPress 4.8 Field Guide — Jeff did an incredible job with that post.

Maedah Batool is a WordPress Core Contributor, Technical Dev Manager and a part-time Journalist. She created a tech-training startup called FinkTanks where she has taught 1,000+ girls how to code with WordPress.